Author: Leslie Jacobs

It’s Official – The DPS for New Orleans is 83.2

Posted on by Leslie Jacobs

(higher than Educate Now!’s projection earlier this month)

The Louisiana Department of Education has released the official combined District Performance Score for New Orleans schools – 83.2.

#1 In Growth Since 2005
District Performance Scores = All students, all grades, all tests

Educate Now! compared District Performance Scores of the 4 largest districts in the state.

2005 2011 Gain
New Orleans 56.9 83.2 26.3
East Baton Rouge 73.1 86.2 13.1
Jefferson 74.3 88.2 13.9
Caddo (Shreveport) 82.3 88.5 6.2

While New Orleans still lags a bit, the large districts are all clustered within 5 points of each other. Our challenge will be to see if over the next 2-3 years we can surpass the “clustering” of these larger districts. Educate Now! is optimistic we will!

 

Historic Gains in Four-Year High School Graduation Rate

Posted on by Leslie Jacobs

The Louisiana Department of Education recently released cohort graduation rates for all Louisiana schools. The cohort graduation rate looks at the 4-year graduation rate of students who started high school in 2007.

  • The state’s rate increased to 70.9%.
  • OPSB’s graduation rate of 93.5% is #1 in the state.
  • RSD New Orleans improved its cohort graduation rate by 15.3% and is #11 out of 70 districts for most improved.

Read the DOE press release
View cohort graduation rates for New Orleans high schools [xls]

 

BESE Election Update

Posted on by Leslie Jacobs

Here are the results from the October 22 BESE elections:

District 1 (St. Tammany, most of Jefferson and some of New Orleans) incumbent Jim Garvey won reelection with 58% of the vote.

District 2 (New Orleans, Jefferson and the river parishes) incumbent Louella Givens received 31% of the vote and heads to a runoff with Kira Orange Jones, who leads with 39% of the vote.

District 3 (includes St. Bernard, Plaquemines and some of Jefferson) Lottie Beebe beat incumbent Glenny Lee Buquet with 56% of the vote.

District 4 (northwest Louisiana) incumbent Walter Lee was unopposed.

Continue reading →

Critical BESE Elections this Saturday – Oct. 22, 2011

Posted on by Leslie Jacobs

Educate Now! strongly encourages everyone to Vote this Saturday. Every vote counts – especially since voter turnout is expected to be light.

The BESE elections are critically important because they will impact the future of public schools in New Orleans.

Candidate Profiles

District 2: There are four candidates for District 2, which covers most of Orleans, parts of Jefferson, St. John, St. James, St. Charles and Assumption (incumbent Louella Givens).

The Times-Picayune Profiles District 2 Candidates

Council for a Better Louisiana: Meet the District 2 Candidates

District 1: There are three candidates for District 1, which covers parts of Orleans, most of Jefferson, and St. Tammany (incumbent Jim Garvey).

The Times-Picayune Profiles District 1 Candidates

Council for a Better Louisiana: Meet the District 1 Candidates Continue reading →

2011 Scores are In — New Orleans is #1 in Growth!

Posted on by Leslie Jacobs

Since 2005, New Orleans has improved more than
any other school district in Louisiana.


District Performance Highlights

Educate Now! calculates that the combined DPS for New Orleans should be around 82.4. This means that New Orleans has grown a stunning 25.5 points – 49% – between 2005 and 2011!

#1 in Growth Since 2005
District Performance Score = All students, all grades, all tests

The 2011 combined DPS for New Orleans was calculated by Educate Now!

Continue reading →

End of Course Tests

Posted on by Leslie Jacobs

What are End of Course Tests (EOCs)?

Louisiana is phasing out the Graduation Exit Exam (GEE) and replacing it with specific End of Course tests, or EOCs.

There are six EOC exams. Beginning with the freshman class of 2010-11, students must pass at least three of the tests to graduate:

  • English II or English III
  • Algebra I or Geometry
  • Biology or American History

Like the GEE, if a student does not pass the test on their first attempt, they have other opportunities to take the test.

Last year, the state tested students in Algebra I, English II, and Geometry. Tests for Biology, English III and American History will be phased in over the next two years.

The Louisiana Department of Education recently released the 2010-11 End of Course test results for Algebra I, English II and Geometry. Educate Now! analyzed student performance for New Orleans schools, focusing specifically on Algebra I and English II.

How did our students do?

Algebra I: New Orleans (all OPSB and RSD schools) outperformed many other school districts, posting its highest ranking relative to other school districts on any state administered test- ever! Continue reading →

In the News: A Clipping Service – August 29, 2011

Posted on by Leslie Jacobs

In this edition of In the News:

  • Debating Reforms
  • Louisiana News
  • National Education Stories
  • ACT Scores Rising Slowly
  • Miller-McCoy in the Spotlight
  • Other Local News

Debating Reforms

The School Reform Deniers
Reuters – August 21, 2011
After years of studying the school reform debate, Steven Brill has published a new book, Class Warfare: Inside the Fight to Fix America’s Schools. In this column, Brill summarizes his findings and takes on the reform deniers, who use the tactic of repeating things that are plainly untrue enough times so they start to seem true, or at least become part of the debate. Brill outlines a set of facts and simple questions with obvious answers that should guide America’s school reform efforts. Continue reading →

In the News: A Clipping Service – August 15, 2011

Posted on by Leslie Jacobs

In this edition of In the News:

  • Politics and Education
  • Local News
  • Around Louisiana
  • Looking at Charter Management Organizations
  • National Education Studies

Politics and Education

Louisiana Education Leaders Need to Step Up
The Times-Picayune – August 10, 2011
Louisiana’s movement toward charter schools, test-driven accountability and performance-based teacher evaluations is being challenged by teacher unions, school boards and superintendents. It is also being undermined by a lack of clear leadership on the part of the administration. Continue reading →

In the News: A Clipping Service – August 8, 2011

Posted on by Leslie Jacobs

Closing the Gap

New Orleans Public School Achievement Gap is Narrowing
The Times-Picayune – August 7, 2011
Black students in New Orleans performed better than black students statewide. New Orleans’ poor students and students with disabilities are also rapidly closing the performance gap compared to state performance. The numbers include all students in any OPSB or RSD school (traditional or charter) who took the state standardized tests this spring. According to The Education Trust, a national organization whose mission is to close achievement gaps, “This is really meaningful progress.”

Editor’s note:  In 2004, of 68 school districts, Orleans Parish ranked 68th – last – in the performance of its black students. To now outperform the state average is a major milestone as public education in New Orleans continues to improve. Continue reading →

Closing the Gap

Posted on by Leslie Jacobs

New Orleans students are closing the achievement gap!

Some of the most persistent achievement gaps in New Orleans – between black and white, the poor and the well-off, those with and without special needs – are shrinking, and at a pace that is much faster than ever before.

  • This year, for the first time since Louisiana began keeping track, African-American students in New Orleans performed better than African-American students statewide.

  • New Orleans’ poor students and students with disabilities are also rapidly closing the performance gap compared to state performance.

According to The Education Trust, a national organization whose mission is to close achievement gaps, “This is really meaningful progress.” Continue reading →